I found the airport
by Jinora
Summary: Fluff for the sake of fluff. Zach picks Adriane up from the airport. Plus: Magic Users through the eyes of a stranger.


**I'm always writing stuff, even if it doesn't fit into any of my current fics. I have quite a few of these miscellaneous oneshots lying around. I wrote this during the MapQuest craze a month or two ago (I don't know if any of you experienced that?), hence them name. **

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If you had asked Cameron what she would liked to have been doing on a Saturday afternoon, she would definitely _not _have said 'picking up my _stupid _kid sister from the airport'. Yet here she was. Waiting at luggage carousal number eight: New York. Lehigh Valley International Airport was located three miles Northeast of Allentown, a three hour drive (both ways) from her home in Stonehill. Cameron yawned discreetly, tugging on her unruly auburn ponytail. The airport was huge, and loud, with 'fancy, high-tech' architecture. The kind that almost made you feel like you were in the future. Cameron thought it looked stupid. Though, the skylights—stained in shades of cranberry, and plum—which lit the room in a not-entirely-unpleasant way were kind of nice, and the random art fixtures (donated by the local university) were interesting.

A busy looking couple passed by, chattering in a language that sounded like French, though she wouldn't know. She took Spanish in school. They barely glanced her way, and from her spot against the pillar, she was all but invisible. She crossed her arms, toying with her keys in annoyance. Cameron glared at the heavy double-doors that lead up to the boarding platform. They were yet to open, which meant the plane had yet to land.

A strange flash of light caught in her eyes and she flinched, glancing blindly to her left. She squinted for a moment before taking in the image of a man, who's hair shone like the sun. He couldn't have been much older than her, early twenties. He leaned against the pillar as well, eyes glued to the same double-doors across the way. Close enough to talk, but far enough that it didn't seem weird. He hadn't even noticed her.

Upon further inspection, it seemed that his hair was really just a dark golden-brown. A trick of the light, but there was still something radiant about him. An air of confidence that she could only dream of emulating. Cameron straightened her grey hoodie, unzipping it enough to reveal her lavender camisole. She kicked herself for wearing such frumpy clothes. She hadn't even worn make up. In her defence, she hadn't expected to run into someone so _attractive,_ but that still didn't make her feel any better.

The man turned, raising an eyebrow. She cursed under her breath. Had he noticed her staring? That had to be it! She turned her eyes back to the skylights, tucking a few ginger locks behind her ear. But, he smiled—so bright she could see it from just her peripheral vision—and asked "Who are you waiting for?" in a tone she had never heard before.

And she jumped, face lighting up like a stop-light no doubt (which always happened when she was embarrassed). "Um," she said in a voice like a mouse. She cleared her throat. "My kid sister," Cameron answered, eyes still glued to the ceiling fixtures. He nodded slowly and she added "Who are you waiting for?"

"Oh, um, I'm waiting for my girlfriend," he spoke in an awkward fashion, giving her a sheepish nod.

Girlfriend. Of course he had girlfriend. Duh. Someone that unnaturally good looking would obviously have a girlfriend. Cameron could practically see them together. She was painfully beautiful. Bright, and sunny, and together they were blinding. She was probably a small person. Curly blonde hair, an adorable nose, freckles. Maybe she had an annoying laugh that everyone over looked because she was just so damn cute. He was viciously over protective, she imagined. Cameron nodded to herself as if examining a scientific specimen. Those girls got all the guys.

"Where's she coming from?" she found found herself saying.

"New York," he answered flatly, as if reading from a script.

"M-my sister too," she replied but then winced. Obviously. She _was _standing in front of _carousel number eight: New York._

"You guys have family out there?" he asked, genuinely interested. That was so hard to find in people these days.

She turned towards him, stuttering as she took in his sharp green eyes. Like he was looking through her soul or something. "U-uh," God. Maybe she should see a therapist or a counselor or something about this sudden on-site social anxiety disorder. "My dad,"

"Ah..." he nodded knowingly. "My girlfriend's family all live out there. It must be hard having loved ones so far away," he mused.

She nodded slowly. Actually it wasn't that hard... "I'm Cameron," she took a shot in the dark, gaining some ground and some confidence with the knowledge that she didn't have a chance.

"Zach," he smiled, and she smiled, they both smiled. And no one was talking, and this silence was definitely drifting into the zone of awkward-so she broke it.

"So where are you from?"

"Stonehill," he answered with a thoughtful nod.

"Oh, really? What highschool did you go to?" She asked, voice breaking on the edge of excitement. How could _he _have been hiding right under her nose?

"Actually I grew up in Allentown," he replied casually. "But I used to do a lot of volunteer work there in my teens. One day I just... never left,"

Cameron just stared. He seemed so serene, so sincere. Definitely unlike any person she had met before. There was an announcement over the airport intercom. She didn't quite catch it.

"The plane just landed," he told her, taking a deep breath.

"What?" she asked dumbly, mouth slightly ajar.

"The announcement... said the plane just landed," he explained, a hint of excitement to his words.

"You're excited to see your girlfriend, huh?" Cameron asked with a grin. Her feelings were slowly morphing from mild jealousy into something warm and fuzzy.

Zach released a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He uncrossed his arms, dropping them to his sides "Yeah," he gave her an adorable smirk that made her heart glow.

"How long has she been gone for?" Cameron found herself saying, though she didn't know why she was interested.

"Like," he scuffed his tennis shoes on the floor "Two months..."

"Wow" Cameron whistled. "Long time..."

Zach nodded. "How long's your sister been gone for?"

"Three weeks,"

"Do you miss her?"

Cameron released a loud 'HA' "Not really," she threaded her fingers through her bangs "There's a huge age difference," she wondered what it was about him that made her feel so comfortable. "So.. we don't really have much in common," she added. "She still plays with Barbies, and I'm in university." Cameron couldn't stop talking. She felt like she had to justify her reasoning for not missing her one and only baby sister.

"I guess I can understand that..." he interrupted. Zach paused, silent for a long moment before muttering "Oh..." his eyes fixed on a point in front of them that Cameron couldn't seem to find.

Cameron looked around. She didn't see her sister yet, and she didn't think she could see Zach's girlfriend, whatever she looked like. She was looking to her right when she heard it.

"Zach?" came the voice of a woman who, for all Cameron knew, appeared out of thin air because she was not there ten seconds ago.

"What are you doing here?" she asked from ten feet away. With every step she took, Zach's expression grew more and more anxious. As if he were worried that she had forgotten him, or something. As if two months apart could erase a face like his.

Cameron couldn't help but stare. She had been completely wrong. This woman wasn't small, or meek, and she didn't have that borderline-annoying, high-pitched voice that Cameron had thought she would. She was tall, taller than Cameron at any-rate. And she was slender, too. She wore black jeans, and a deep red t-shirt. Nothing fancy, and nothing _bright. _Black hair hung lifelessly around her shoulders, messy from sleeping on the plane. In one hand she held the handle of a black guitar case, a suitcase handle in the other. She placed the suitcase on the floor, raising her hand to remove her headphones, revealing chipped black nail polish. She didn't look like she needed protecting, and she didn't shine like the sun.

But, Cameron was right about something. She _was _painfully beautiful.

"I thought Tasha wanted you to help with the new mirr-" she began as she approached, a smile spreading across her face. With complete disregard for his surroundings, Zach jumped at her. Embedding his fingers deep in her hair, he silenced her with a desperate kiss. The guitar case in her hand—the hardshell kind that professionals use—dropped to the ground with a thud, but the woman barely flinched.

Cameron glanced away, hiding an awkward smirk.

Zach pulled back, squeezing her into a tight hug "I've been going crazy since you left," he admitted.

She smiled "You say that like you _need_ me or something," she chuckled mockingly.

"Do you know how hard it is to run the preserve without you? Paperwork. So much paperwork,"

"Pfft,"

Cameron whistled and Zach pulled back, clearing his throat.

"Um, this is Cameron, she's been keeping me company while I was waiting. Cameron this is Adriane," Zach introduced them, and Cameron was beginning to suspect that Zach was actually just a super awkward guy. It was sort of endearing.

"Nice to meet you," Adriane chirped, red-cheeked and smiling. She gave Zach a sideways glance. Cameron took in their smiles, and decided that if he was like the sun, then she was like the night sky, and everything in it. Something like approval wafted over Cameron, though she didn't have any right to judge.

"Nice to meet you too," she replied before taking a quick look around "Well... I should go find my sister,"

"Nice talking to you," Zach grinned and Adriane waved.

Cameron couldn't help a smile as she walked towards the luggage carousel.

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**I actually had a lot of fun writing this. Writing about Cameron was the strangest thing. I didn't really have looks or personality in mind for her, originally she didn't even have a gender or sex. Cameron's a fairly gender neutral name, and I had originally wanted it to be a bit more ambiguous. But as I started writing it became obvious to me that Cameron was a woman, her looks and personality followed suit. I guess that's just one of those instances where the character tells you what to write, rather than the other way around.**

**I like the idea that Zach and the girls have a whole back story laid out for him, and that over the years he's probably gotten pretty good at reciting it. Also, if you squint, I think Zach may have porta-portaled to the airport. And yeah. I hope you enjoyed reading! : D**


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